During the late night discussion on the MNREGA related bill in the Lok Sabha, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey strongly attacked the Congress. He said that this bill is being discussed even at 1 o’clock in the night, which shows how serious the government is about this issue. Dubey alleged that whenever he stands up to speak, Congress MPs start making noise and mislead the country by taking the name of the Constitution.
Targeting Congress by citing the Constitution
Nishikant Dubey said that Congress appeals to the Constitution, but itself does not understand the basic spirit of the Constitution. Citing Article 51A and Article 49, he said that according to the Constitution, no government scheme can be named after the President, Vice President and Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. He alleged that Congress used Mahatma Gandhi’s name only for corruption and political gains.
Allegation of corruption in MNREGA
The BJP MP claimed that during the tenure of Congress, there used to be up to 50 percent commission taking in MNREGA. He said that with the system of Lokpal, those Congress leaders who have become ‘fat’ by corruption will be held accountable. He also said that now the soil measurement will be done within three days and no payment will be made if the rules are not followed.
‘We are saving the Constitution’- Nishikant Dubey
Nishikant Dubey said that the government is working to save the Constitution, whereas Congress had implemented the MISA law by imposing emergency. Referring to Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of truth and non-violence, he said that BJP is saving the name of Mahatma Gandhi from being tarnished by corruption.
Anurag Thakur congratulated PM Modi
Union Minister Anurag Thakur also supported this bill and congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that the opposition is raising the question that the name of the scheme has been changed, but BJP is ‘Kaamdaar, not Naamdaar’ and believes in working.
Question on naming of Congress
Anurag Thakur said that schemes related to employment guarantee have been running since 1980. In 1989, Congress named it Jawahar Rozgar Yojana, when Mahatma Gandhi was not remembered. In 2005, the name of the scheme was only NREGA and in 2009, at the time of elections, the name of Mahatma Gandhi was added.
Modi government vs UPA government
Anurag Thakur said that during the UPA government, the money of the poor was eaten away, whereas the Modi government delivered the money directly to the beneficiaries through Jan Dhan accounts. He said that during the Covid period, the Modi government gave a budget of Rs 1.11 lakh crore for MNREGA, whereas during the UPA government, the budget could not exceed Rs 30-40 thousand crore and that too could not be spent properly.
